Image forming apparatus

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes a sheet container accommodating a recording medium therein, a sheet separating feeder including a sheet feeding body and a sheet separating body, an image forming part, and a bend applier. The sheet feeding body feeds the recording medium along with a surface movement thereof while the recording medium contacting the surface thereof. The sheet separating body forms a sheet separation nip region with the sheet feeding body and sandwiches the recording medium in the sheet separation nip region. The sheet separating feeder separates and feeds the recording medium contacting the sheet feeding body. The image forming part forms an image on the recording medium. The bend applier having a leading end of an elastic material contacts and bends the recording medium before the sheet separation nip region and generates a wrinkle extending on the recording medium in a sheet conveying direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 a sheet container configured to accommodate a sheet bundle including a sheet therein; and 
 a sheet separating feeder including:
 a sheet feeding body having a surface to contact the sheet accommodated in the sheet container and configured to feed the sheet from the sheet container; 
 a sheet separating body configured to contact the sheet feeding body and form a sheet separation nip region with the sheet feeding body, and to sandwich the sheet in the sheet separation nip region; 
 a bend applier disposed upstream from the sheet separation nip region in a sheet conveying direction, 
 the bend applier configured to include a leading end forming member, a first body forming member disposed on a contact surface of the leading end forming member on a side on which the leading end forming member contacts the leading end of the sheet, and a second body forming member disposed on an opposite surface of the leading end forming member that is opposite the contact surface of the leading end forming member; and 
 a projection configured to contact the sheet, the projection being disposed outside at a side end of the sheet separating body in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction and being disposed outside at a side end of the leading end forming member of the bend applier in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, 
 
 wherein an uppermost part of the first body forming member is lower than an uppermost part of the leading end forming member, 
 wherein a leading end of the leading end forming member includes elastic material to contact the sheet, 
 
       wherein the leading end forming member contacts the leading end of the sheet, 
       wherein the leading end forming member further includes a leading extended portion extending from a base end portion of the leading end forming member,
 wherein a surface of the base end portion of the leading end forming member on a contact side on which the leading end forming member contacts the leading end of the sheet is attached to a surface of the first body forming member, 
 wherein the leading extended portion of the leading end forming member is supported by the base end portion of the leading end forming member in a cantilever manner without being attached to the first body forming member in a state in which the base end portion of the leading end forming member is located below the uppermost part of the first body forming member in a direction of gravitation, and 
 wherein the surface of the base end portion of the leading end forming member on an opposite side of the base end of the leading end forming member that is opposite the contact side of the base end of the leading end forming member is attached to a surface of the second body forming member. 
 
     
     
       2. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a sheet conveying path through which the sheet is conveyed,
 wherein the leading end of the bend applier is projected upward in the direction of gravitation and higher than the sheet conveying path from the sheet container toward the sheet separation nip region. 
 
     
     
       3. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first body forming member and the leading end forming member respectively include
 a bent portion bent from the sheet container toward the sheet separation nip region at an upward end position of the base end portion in the sheet conveying direction; and 
 the leading extended portion extends from the bent portion toward the leading end. 
 
 
     
     
       4. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the leading extended portion of the leading end forming member is supported by the bent portion of the leading end forming member in a cantilever manner without being attached to the leading extended portion of the first body forming member in a state in which the leading extended portion of the leading end forming member is disposed below the leading extended portion of the body forming member in the direction of gravitation. 
 
     
     
       5. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the leading end of the leading end forming member includes multiple leading ends of the multiple leading end forming members configured to contact the sheet at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. 
 
     
     
       6. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the leading end of the leading end forming member includes multiple leading ends of the multiple leading end forming members configured to the sheet at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. 
 
     
     
       7. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the leading end of the leading end forming member includes multiple leading ends of the multiple leading end forming members configured to contact the sheet at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. 
 
     
     
       8. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the leading end of the leading end forming member includes multiple leading ends of the multiple leading end forming members configured to contact the sheet at different positions in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. 
 
     
     
       9. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein at least one of the multiple leading ends of the multiple leading end forming members is located at a position shifted to one side of the sheet separating body in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction and another of the multiple leading ends of the multiple leading end forming members is located at a position shifted to the other side of sheet separating body in the direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. 
 
     
     
       10. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a sheet separation nip guide configured to contact the sheet before the sheet separation nip region and to prevent the sheet from hitting against the sheet separating body before the sheet separation nip region and guide the sheet toward the sheet separation nip region. 
     
     
       11. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 5 , further comprising a sheet separation nip guide disposed between two of the multiple leading ends of the multiple leading end forming members. 
     
     
       12. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the
 separation nip guide includes a guide part, and 
 wherein the guide part of the separation nip guide extends in a direction different from a direction in which the leading end forming member of the bend applier extends. 
 
     
     
       13. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the sheet container includes
 a sheet loading face; and 
 a curl correcting body attached to the sheet container and configured to correct curling of the sheet, 
 wherein the curl correcting body is disposed projecting upward above the sheet loading face and is detachably attached to the sheet container. 
 
     
     
       14. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 13 ,
 wherein the curl correcting body includes multiple engaging parts configured to provide different amounts of projection of the curl correcting body from the sheet loading face of the sheet container. 
 
     
     
       15. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the sheet feeding body is a sheet feed roller comprising an inner ring; an outer ring that includes the inner ring therein; 
 multiple ribs, each extending radially from an outer circumferential surface of the inner ring and connecting to an inner circumferential surface of the outer ring; and 
 an elastic layer formed by an elastic body covering the outer circumferential surface of the outer ring. 
 
     
     
       16. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 15 ,
 wherein the sheet feed roller further comprising multiple weights, each being fixedly provided in a space formed between two adjacent ribs of the multiple ribs disposed inside the outer ring. 
 
     
     
       17. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein each of the multiple weights has two opposite surfaces in a rotation direction of the sheet feeding body, which are one end surface having one projection and the other end surface having the other projection, 
 wherein the one projection contacts one of the two adjacent ribs disposed sandwiching a space formed therebetween and the other projection contacts the other of the two adjacent ribs, and 
 wherein a different portion from the one projection and the other projection of each of the multiple weights contacts the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring. 
 
     
     
       18. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein a distance between the two adjacent ribs at contact positions defined 
 
       by a straight line connecting a contact position at which the one projection of each of the weights contacts one of the two adjacent ribs and a contact position at which the other projection of each of the weights contacts the other of the two adjacent ribs is smaller than a distance between the leading ends of each weight provided between the two adjacent ribs. 
     
     
       19. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein the multiple weights are fixedly provided to the ribs by using an adhesive. 
 
     
     
       20. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 16 ,
 wherein the multiple weights are formed in a shape avoiding a gate part that is formed when molding a hub including the inner ring, the outer ring, and the multiple ribs.